Five Matchups to Watch: 5 Bears Secondary V. 49ers Receiving Core
For this youthful Chicago Bears secondary, they face their first test right out of the gate in week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. Ryan Poles invested his first two selections as the Bears GM on addressing the secondary by selecting Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Along with the former college standouts, the Bears have Jaylon Johnson and former All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson. San Francisco's offense is certainly loaded also with All-Pros George Kittle and Deebo Samuel along with former first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk. This battle sure should be one of the most interesting battles of this week 1 matchup.
Bears secondary:
Eddie Jackson looks to get back to former All-Pro form after a series of up and down games over the past two seasons. Jackson is known to be a ball hawk but has struggled to force turnovers in recent seasons, Jackson will be paired with another tremendous playmaking safety again in Jaquan Brisker that he hasn't had since Adrian Amos left. Brisker's skill set has been raved about all off-season and was displayed in his limited preseason play, he should make an instant impact on this defense. On the outside, the Bears are paired with veteran corner Jaylon Johnson and rookie Kyler Gordon. Gordon has been getting some work in the slot and could see time there, especially with his tackling ability being a strength. Gordon led the University of Washington with 7 pass breakups last season, in a defense that also consisted of Trent McDuffie. Last, Jaylon Johnson made his name early in Chicago and is looking to become one of the league's household names at the corner position. Johnson is entering his third season as a Bear and has made leaps every season. In his rookie campaign, Johnson led all rookies with 14 forced incompletions, all while starting in only 13 games. Last season as the Bears top defensive back Jaylon Johnson took responsibility for facing each team's marquee receivers. With a revamped secondary and defensive system that should benefit corner play, Johnson could be set to climb the league ranks at the position.
San Francisco 49ers Receiving Corp:
The 49ers have two of the best at their respective positions In George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. Kittle is a 3 three-down do it all tight end. Not only is he one of the better receiving tight ends in the league, but the former all-pro could also be in the conversation for the best blocking tight end. Kittle's only downside is his durability, only once in his career has Kittle appeared in all regular season games. Despite this, he still has eclipsed nearly 4,500 receiving yards,335 receptions, and 20 touchdowns in his first five seasons in the league. Deebo Samuel is a matchup nightmare, there is not many people in the league who has his speed, vision, route running, and rushing ability. Samuel can run any route on the field anywhere and also can be featured in the backfield numerous times. Samuel is coming off his best career season where he put up 1770 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns in 136 total touches. This was enough to earn him his first career all-pro honor. One forgotten weapon on the 49ers offense is former first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk has not had a monster season yet in his first two years in the league but has put up two respectable seasons. Aiyuk has hauled in 116 receptions,1574 receiving yards, and 10 receiving TDs. It has been rumored that Aiyuk has had a strong camp and is being a good rapport with second-year quarterback Trey Lance.
